Descent into Madness
by CrypticGirl
Summary: Chloe's CQ AU. What if Senel had died when Chloe stabbed him? What if she succeeded in killing Alcott? Her descent into madness will continue...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Once again, ToL and its characters belong to Namco.

Author's Note: Most ToL fans think that Chloe is "all that and a bag of chips" for stabbing Senel in her Character Quest. I'm one of the few people who believes that it was horribly wrong, and monumentally stupid. This fanfic was written to show why I feel this way.

P.S. This is probably the darkest ToL fic I've ever written...

--

Prologue

"Chloe, please, stop th—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Senel felt the sharp pain in his abdomen as Chloe shoved her sword straight through him.

"I warned you," she said in her cold voice. "I told you if you were not prepared, you would die."

"Chloe...argh..."

Chloe looked up at the black, rainy sky. "Now that I've done this to you, I no longer have a place I can return to."

Senel lay on his back, also looking up at the sky. Each breath brought yet another surge of pain through his body.

"That fact only strengthens my resolve," Chloe continued. "Thank you, Coolidge."

Senel clutched his stomach tightly, bearing the pain as he pushed himself to his feet. "You think I want...to be thanked for that!? I won't accept it..."

Chloe watched the Alliance Marine as he slumped over. "Why did you come to stop me?"

"You're my friend...I...care about...you..." Senel spoke in between rasping gasps. "Don't...go..."

Chloe looked up at the clouds yet again. "I wish I could just accept those words..."

"Chloe..."

Chloe found that she could no longer look at him. "Don't say anymore. Please, don't say anymore."

Senel reached out towards her with his bloody hand. "Don't go, Chloe..."

"Your comfort brings me nothing but pain..." Chloe calmly left the graveyard. It was too late to turn back now. It was time to fulfill her resolve.

Senel dropped to his knees before falling face-first to the ground. "Chloe...don't go...don't go..."

But Chloe was gone. Time seemed to stand still. Senel dug his fingers into the dirt, grabbing a fistful into his hand.

"Chloe...no...I won't...die like this..."

"Senel!?"

Senel perked up painfully as he heard the young girl's voice. "Shirley...?"

Suddenly, his body was turned over, causing yet another gush of pain. He then found himself resting in Shirley's lap, looking into her tearful eyes.

"Senel, hang on!" Shirley held her hands over his wound, casting her crystal eres. The wound closed up from the outside, but the blood stain in Senel's uniform remained.

Senel coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Argh...can't...breathe...Shirley..."

"Senel, please hang on!" Shirley cried.

"I'm sorry...I...I couldn't stop her..."

"Chloe...she did this to you!?"

Senel weakly reached up towards the braids that hung from Shirley's face, grasping one between his fingers. "Shirley...please stop Chloe...please..."

His hand dropped to the ground lifelessly. Shirley gasped as she looked into Senel's eyes, watching them as they closed softly.

"Senel? Senel!!" she cried frantically. "Senel, please wake up! Please don't go!!"

When Senel didn't respond, Shirley held onto his body tightly, beginning to cry. She felt the emotions welling up within her more and more, until she could no longer contain them. She threw her head backwards, letting out a scream that pierced through the night. She then cried again, burying her head into Senel's chest.

And then time stopped again.

"Shirley!" Moses ran up, stopping a few feet away to see what was happening. "Shirley, I heard ya screa—shit!!"

He ran up to her, kneeling down beside Senel, opposite from Shirley. "What the hell happened here!?"

Shirley straightened herself with tear-stained eyes, breathing heavily. "He's dead...Senel's dead..."

"But why? How did he die!?"

As if on cue, the black mist began to form around Shirley's body. Her face became blank as she heard Chloe's voice in her mind.

_"I told you if you were not prepared, you would die."_

"Chloe...she said that to him?" Shirley muttered aloud. "Damn her..."

"Wha...?" Moses asked, raising his eye. "What'd she say to him?"

The black mist faded, and Shirley's expression returned to normal.

"She said, 'If you were not prepared, you would die,'" she replied.

"Damn, that's cold," Moses remarked. "She's serious about avengin' her family, ain't she?"

"But she didn't have to kill him! She didn't have to!"

"You're right. So what do we do?"

"We have to tell the others."

"And leave Senel here?"

"It's only for a little while," Shirley told him. "We'll give him a proper burial, and then we'll stop Chloe."

Setting Senel's body gently on the ground, Shirley stood up and quickly left the graveyard.

"Where're ya goin'!?" Moses called after her.

"I'm going to tell Will!" Shirley called back.

"Hey!" Moses called again, but then stopped to ponder his next course of action. "She'll tell Will and the others in the city...so I'll go and tell Jay."

The bandit quickly left the graveyard also, leaving Senel's corpse alone...


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Shirley arrived at Will's house, going inside and running straight up to his bedroom.

"Will!" she pounded on the door loudly. "Will, please wake up!"

Will opened the door, rubbing his eyes. "What is it...?"

"It's Senel! He was out by the graveyard and...and..." Shirley stammered in a complete panic, gasping in between words.

Will grabbed her shoulder. "Shirley...calm down. Start from the beginning, and speak slowly."

Shirley paused to catch her breath. "Okay...this is what happened..."

--

Meanwhile, Moses ran to Quppo's house in the Oresoren Village. He too pounded on the door loudly.

"Jay! Come outta there!"

He continued to pound on the door until Jay finally opened it a moment later.

"What do you want?" he grumbled.

"Jay, you ain't gonna believe this..." Moses started.

"Right...I'll believe it in the morning!" Jay slammed the door shut.

"Ors?" The three Scallop Brothers woke up.

"You'd think that stupid bandit would have somewhere to go at this time of night, but no..." Jay continued to grumble.

Moses opened the door and came inside. "Dammit, Jay! This ain't no time for playin' around!"

"Me? I'm not the one who's waking people up in the middle of the night!" Jay responded.

"Oh, just come on!" Moses grabbed the back of Jay's collar and dragged him out of the house.

"Ors?" Pippo, Quppo, and Poppo watched until the information dealer and the bandit were out of sight.

--

"To think, we'd meet again in this place. The same place as that fateful day. You've grown up."

These were Arnold Alcott's words as he faced Chloe Valens in the Forest of No Return.

"I didn't come here to reminisce about the past," she hissed. "Draw your weapon."

"Still insisting on acting like a knight? If you truly hate me, then go ahead and strike." Arnold began to draw his weapon.

Chloe gasped softly. "That...sword..."

"I didn't think you'd have forgotten it."

"Father's sword! Now I have no doubt. It really was you..."

"I thought that much was obvious by now."

"Arrrgh!!" Chloe lunged forward, swinging her sword, but Arnold parried it forcefully.

"I cannot die yet!" he vowed. "I cannot abandon Elsa!"

"Arrrrgh!!" Chloe screamed again as the black mist began to appear, engulfing her lower body.

"What...what's that mist...?" Arnold gasped.

Chloe clenched the hilt of her sword, glaring at him with eyes of pure ice. "Alcott! Feel my hatred!"

--

The group assembled in Werites Beacon after learning the news of Senel's death. They worked together to give him a halfway decent burial. They now had him on top of a large blanket in a six-foot pit next to Stella's grave. They hadn't covered him up yet, as they took the time to look down at him for a few moments.

Norma embraced Will's muscular arm. "I can't believe Senny's really dead..."

"What happened to him?" Jay asked in a low, cold voice.

"Chloe went and did this to him," Moses said.

"Why?"

"Uh...I dunno." Moses looked at the group. "Why?"

"I'd say it's because she was determined to avenge her parents, and Senel stood in her way," Will said.

"But she didn't have to kill him!" Shirley insisted.

"No, she didn't..." Will agreed.

"If Chloe truly means to avenge her parents, then her actions are not unjust," Jay said.

Norma jumped to her feet and went in front of him. "JJ, how can you say that!? Senny just wanted to help her, and she just kills him? You're saying that's not unjust!?"

"Now, I didn't say _that_..."

Norma scratched her head. "Then what did you say?"

"I'm saying that killing Alcott is not unjust, if he really is Stingle, and he did murder Chloe's parents."

"But he's just trying to cure Ellie."

"He's a kind person who cares very much for Elsa..." Shirley said. "Chloe doesn't have to kill him either..."

"Yeah, she can still get her vengeance without killing him," Norma added.

Grune pulled out a greeting card, kneeling over the newly dug grave. "Here you go, sweetie..."

"For me??" Norma gushed, taking the card from her. "Aw, G-Girl, you shouldn't have..."

"It's for Senel," Grune corrected her.

"Oh..." Norma frowned as she opened the card. "Uh, G-Girl...'Get well soon'?"

Grune merely smiled at her. "Wasn't it nice of me?"

"How's he gonna get well soon when he's dead??"

"That's enough." Will snatched the card from Norma, lightly dropping it into the grave.

"Come on, Teach, you can't be serious!"

Will didn't respond as he began to close the blanket over Senel's body. After that, he and Moses began to fill the grave with the same dirt that had been dug out.

Shirley felt the tears streaming down her face as she absent-mindedly took Will's arm, leaning against his body.

Will shifted uncomfortably. "Shirley...are you all right?"

"I don't know...I just want to cry...but..." Shirley wiped her tears away, then began to calmly leave the graveyard.

"Shirl? Where are you going?" Norma asked.

"I'm going to stop Chloe," Shirley responded, not even looking back.

"You mean you're gonna find her and go all Merines on her?"

"No!" Shirley snapped as she spun around to face Norma. "I'm not like that anymore, Norma! Stop trying to insist that I am!"

"Then why are you going after C??"

"To stop her from avenging her parents! It's not what she really wants to do. It's only going to lead to more suffering! Besides, this was Senel's final wish, and I intend to honor it!"

Shirley turned and left the graveyard.

"Whoa...she's really pissed," Norma remarked.

"You can hardly blame her," Will said. "She's just lost someone dear to her, and you're only making it worse."

"She's lost a lot of family," Moses added. "It's gotta be tough. Senel was part of our family, too. This really hurts..."

"So, any suggetions?" Jay asked.

"I say Shirley's right," Moses told him. "Let's go do what Senel wants."

"Yes..." Will agreed. "Senel's last request should be honored."

"And then Senel and Chloe will be happy," Grune said.

"I don't know about that..." Jay muttered softly.

"Let's do it!" Norma declared.

Jay shook his head and shrugged. "Majority wins...oh bother."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the Forest of No Return, Arnold had fallen to his knees, tightly clutching his bleeding abdomen.

Chloe stood about ten feet away, her sword clenched in her hands. "Do you have any last words?"

"Still trying to be the knight?" Arnold scoffed in response.

Chloe ignored the comment as she assumed her stance again. "Do you have any last words!?"

_I've lost..._ Arnold held a flower out to her. "Take this Flower of No Return to Werites Beacon. I want you to cure Elsa."

Chloe took the flower. "I bear witness to your words."

"Father!!"

Arnold gasped as he saw his daughter Elsa running into the clearing. She stopped, propping her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"Elsa! Why are you here!?" Arnold cried.

Elsa straightened herself. "I figured it out...about you and Chloe. But...I can't let this happen."

So saying, she stood directly in front of her father, facing Chloe.

"Elsa, get out of the way!" Chloe ordered.

"I will not!" Elsa responded. "I know he's committed many crimes, but...to me, he's my one and only father."

Her eyes then glanced down at the sword at her feet. The Valens sword, the one Arnold had kept since the death of the Valens family. Chloe noticed this as well.

"Elsa..." she warned. "If you pick up that sword, I'll show you no mercy."

Despite the warning, Elsa knelt down, gripping the sword hilt. "Chloe, you're my friend...but if you intend to harm Father, I'll do whatever it takes to stop you." She then stood up, facing Chloe in a battle stance.

"Ahh!" Chloe held her head, screaming in agony.

"Elsa, you must leave this place!" Arnold ordered. "If I lose you here, everything I've done will have been in vain! Do you understand?!"

Elsa turned to face him. "Father, I..."

Chloe breathed heavily as she gripped her sword even tighter. _Show no mercy..._

The black mist formed behind her, taking the form of a sad young girl. Young Chloe.

_"Do it now,"_ the mist said. _"Use your sword. Let yourself go."_

_Let myself go?_ Chloe thought in response. _But Elsa is..._

_"That man killed your parents,"_ the voice said. _"Do you pity him because he has a sick child?"_

_No...but I... _

_"Then use your sword! Do it now, while he's let his guard down!"_

Chloe set herself, ready to attack.

"Elsa, move!" Arnold took Elsa by the shoulders, moving her behind him.

"Prepare to die!!" Chloe rushed in to deliver the final blow.

"Father!!" Elsa quickly moved in front of him as Chloe thrust out her sword, driving it straight through Elsa's midriff.

Arnold screamed in horror, "ELSAAAA!!"

Chloe ripped the blade out of Elsa's body, and the sick girl feel backwards into her father's arms. Chloe stared at her bloody blade. "Wh...what have I...?"

_"Have no regrets, child,"_ the dark voice said. _"Let no one stand in your way. If you let her live, she will only desire the same thing you do now – revenge. And then she will kill you."_

_Yeah..._ Chloe thought. _You're right..._

"Father...please..." Elsa muttered softly. "S...stop Chloe..."

"Elsa!!" Arnold cried as his daughter fell limp in his arms.

Chloe stood just a few feet ahead, looking away slightly, staring at the ground. "Elsa...you fool...why?"

Arnold set his daughter gently on the ground and stood up, bringing up the Valens sword. "Chloe...you have every right to hate me for striking down your parents," he said. "But one thing you can never understand is that there is no greater tragedy than when a parent must bury his child."

Chloe slowly moved her eyes towards him, still hearing the voice coming from the black mist. _"Let yourself go. Let no one stand in your way. Show no mercy. Have no regrets."_

Chloe's heavy breathing resumed, her anger building up within her once again. "I am Chloe Valens. You killed my parents. Prepare to die."

"Looks like we both have the same resolve now," Arnold pointed out. "The resolve for revenge."

Chloe rushed in again, and the two exchanged a few sword clashes. They backed off and paused for a brief moment before lunging at each other again. Only this time, Chloe threw an upward stroke, knocking Arnold's sword out from his hands. Chloe then took advantage, driving her sword through Arnold's midriff.

"Augh..." Arnold groaned in pain as he doubled over. "W...well done..."

Chloe paused to catch her breath, her hatred still burning strong within her. "That was for Mother..." she said in a low voice. "And _this_ is for Father!"

She twisted the blade painfully, shoving it deeper into Arnold's body.

"Chloe!!" Shirley's voice called from the distance.

Chloe merely turned her head as the remainder of the party arrived at the clearing. They came to a screeching halt as they quickly realized the outcome. Chloe ripped her sword out of Arnold's midriff, and the apothecary tipped backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Oh, we're too late!" Norma cried.

Shirley glanced over at Elsa's dead body. "Don't tell me she killed Elsa, too!"

"Dammit!" Moses growled. "What the hell's the matter with you, woman!"

Chloe looked down at her blade again. The black mist became even darker, thicker around her body. Chloe began to let out a quiet laugh.

"Chloe...?" Will began.

Chloe continued to laugh softly for a moment, and then threw her head backwards with a full out laugh.

The party only blinked at her.

Chloe raised her blood-stained sword into the air. "Mother...Father...did you see me? I've done it...after all these years, I've finally done it! Your death is avenged! Now I can live in peace!"

"Can you really?" Jay muttered in a barely audible voice.

Norma crossed over to Chloe. "Hello, C! Answer us already! Are you going to just ignore us?"

Chloe looked over at her, still holding her blade in the air. "What do you want!?" she growled forcefully in a murderous tone.

"Ahh!" Norma staggered backwards, falling on her rear. "Ah...n-n-nothing..."

Screaming again, she got up and ran behind Grune. "Hide me, G-Girl! She's going to kill me!"

Chloe now turned to face the party, placing her sword back in its sheath. The party could only stare at her, as they were at a loss for words. They were starting to not recognize her.

"You..." she muttered softly.

The party swallowed hard, gulping down their fear. Jay reached into his pocket, grasping his hidden dagger.

"You have no right to be here!" So saying, Chloe quickly fled from the clearing, disappearing within the trees.

"Huh??" the party muttered in confusion.

A moment of silence passed as they stared at the corpses ahead.

"Well, this is great!" Norma grumbled. "Now we've got more dead bodies to clean up!"

"Let's get back to Werites Beacon," Will said. "We'll let the hospital staff take care of them."

"And then we'll discuss our next course of action?" Jay asked.

"Yes."

The group began to leave, while Moses grumbled, "Man...why does life gotta suck like this?"

"Because you suck?" Jay responded.

"Hey!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The remaining party of six returned to Will's house. They sat in the living room, while the deafening silence engulfed the room. Will and Moses were leaning against the wall on opposite ends of the room, while everyone else was sitting. Shirley slumped over, hiding her face with her knees. They were all thinking the same thing. Senel was dead, and Chloe was gone. How would they be able to move past this?

"It's too quiet in here!" Norma whined. "Somebody say something!"

"And what're we supposed to say?" Moses asked.

"Well, you're obviously thinking about something! Just say what you're thinking about!"

"Norma, we're all thinking the same thing," Will told her. "We're all thinking about what we're going to do about Chloe. We can't do anything about Senel, but we can't just leave Chloe out there."

"Was that the same Chloe we know?" Moses asked. "She looked more like a madwoman."

"Yeah, that wasn't like C at all," Norma agreed. "I honestly thought she was going to kill me."

"It'd be just like her to do it, too," Jay said.

"Yeah, especially if she was mad enough to kill Senel," Moses added.

"But C's gonna come back, right?" Norma asked. "Now that she's avenged her parents, she'll feel better, right?"

"I don't think so," Jay said. "Killing Senel was her way of throwing us all in the garbage. She's probably thinking that we won't accept her back after what she's done. And as far as I'm concerned, she's correct. I don't know about the rest of you, though..."

"Hey Shirl, you're being awfully quiet over there," Norma called.

Shirley sat up, wiping the tears that were streaming down her face. "I'm fine...I just can't believe that things have come to this."

"So what do you think's gonna happen to C now?"

"Well, we knew that Chloe didn't really want to kill Arnold. That's why Senel tried to stop her. But now that she's gone through with it..."

"Her heart will be trapped in a deep darkness..." Grune finished out of nowhere in a mellow tone.

Everyone raised an eye at her.

"The black mist is the darkness in Chloe's heart..." she continued. "It will take over forever."

"What are you talking about, G-Girl?" Norma asked. "Do you know something about that black mist?"

Grune paused as she began to ponder. "Hmm...was I just saying something?"

Everyone dropped their heads in frustration. "Never mind..."

"As I was saying..." Shirley went on. "Now that Chloe's gone through with her revenge, she will only feel better for that one instant. But all that'll lie ahead of her is new suffering. She may live in regret...regret for killing Senel and Elsa."

"Oh yeah, she killed Ellie, too," Norma added. "She really didn't have to do that..."

"So are we just gonna sit here and let her suffer out there?" Moses asked.

"We can't do that," Will said. "But if she won't come back to us, then that makes things that much more difficult."

"If what Shirley says is correct, then all I can see is more killing," Jay said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Moses asked.

"If killing Alcott will bring her a small burst of relief, then she'll kill again for another burst of relief. And that pattern will continue eternally, until someone stops her."

Shirley gasped. "But Chloe...she's not like that..."

Jay looked over at her. "You saw her at the forest, didn't you? It appears that Chloe is no longer the person we knew her to be."

"Why you always gotta be so cold?" Moses asked.

Now Jay turned his attention to the bandit. "Oh, you want me to be optimistic? Well, I could say that Chloe _may_ choose to kill monsters instead of people. But that's only a maybe."

"Whatever the case, we can't just leave Chloe out there," Shirley said. "If she's suffering, and going around killing people, then we have to stop her!"

"Even though she's the one who killed Senel?" Jay pointed out. "Can you so easily accept her back after that?"

"I..." Shirley faltered. "If it was the old me, I wouldn't. But I won't allow myself to hate any longer. Hating her won't make things any better. Besides, Senel gave his life trying to help Chloe. So I will help her on his behalf."

Jay sighed. "If you say so..."

"Well, JJ, what's _your_ brilliant solution?" Norma asked.

"I don't wanna hear it," Moses spat. "Knowin' Jay, it'll just be somethin' cold."

Jay shot him another look. "For once, the stupid bandit is correct. You don't want to hear it."

"Aww..." Moses groaned as he moved over to the couch, sitting beside Grune. "Grune...I love you..."

"Hmm?" Grune smiled at him. "I love you, too, Moses."

"No, no..." Moses whined. "I really love you..."

"Hmm? I really love you, too, Moses."

"Noooo!! You don't get it!!" Moses slumped over, sobbing in Grune's lap.

"Oh dear..." Grune stroked the bandit's head. "There, there, sweetie. Everything will be okay..."

"I can't listen to this any longer..." Jay stood up and moved towards the front door.

"Hey, where're you going!?" Norma called.

"I need some space," Jay replied. "If you'll excuse me..."

He left the house, leaving the room in total silence again.

"I don't feel like going anywhere..." Norma said. "Let's all spend the night here tonight."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Norma," Grune said. "It's so much better when we're all together."

"Yeah, I don't feel like going anywhere," Shirley added.

"Well, then you all can make yourselves at home..." Will said. "I'll be upstairs reflecting on what's happened, so please don't disturb me unless there's an emergency."

As he went upstairs, the remaining party members began to search for a place to sleep.

--

Jay walked down the road on the way to leave the city. He paused when he saw Chloe crossing the bridge to enter the city. Her eyes still looked cold, but less maniacal. Perhaps she had regained at least part of her former self. Chloe paused upon seeing Jay as well.

"Chloe..." Jay greeted her, knowing that he needed to learn her true intentions. "Are you coming back to us?"

"No..." Chloe closed her eyes. "I don't deserve to come back. Not after everything I've done."

"I see..."

"But...the next time you see Coolidge...tell him that...I'm sorry."

Chloe began to move past Jay, who didn't even bother to face her.

"So you don't know..." Jay muttered.

Chloe stopped again, but she didn't bother turning around either. "Don't know what?"

Jay dropped the news. "Senel's dead."

Now Chloe faced him. "What? Why? How did he...?"

"By your hand," Jay replied, still with his back turned. "By your sword."

Chloe only gasped.

"We buried him next to Stella," Jay went on. "If you're really sorry, then you should go tell him that yourself."

Without even looking at her, Jay walked on, leaving the city. Chloe only watched him wide-eyed until he disappeared into the duct. Then she looked up at the night sky.

"Coolidge...are you really...?"

--

When Jay arrived at the Oresoren Village, he went all the way to Quppo's house, his home. He opened the door, but just stood in the doorway. The three Scallop Brothers turned to face him.

"What's wrong, Jay?" Poppo asked.

"You look sad," Quppo added. "Ors..."

"S...Senel's dead..." Jay told them, on the verge of tears.

"Ors?" The three Oresoren tilted their heads.

"And it was Chloe who killed him," Jay added, as he crossed the room and sat down with his back against the wall. "I don't...I don't know what I'm going to do..."

"Are you going to cry, Jay?" Pippo asked.

"It's okay to cry, Jay," Poppo said. "Ors..."

"I...I don't...I can't..." Jay pulled his knees to his chest, tears now beginning to form in his eyes.

"There's no shame in crying, Jay," Quppo said. "Senel was a good person. We're really going to miss him...ors, ors..."

"But I...I..."

The Oresoren huddled in close to the boy.

"Go ahead and cry, Jay," Poppo said.

"In fact, we're going to cry with you, Jay," Quppo added.

"Qu...Quppo..." Jay finally broke down, crying openly, burying his face into his knees.

"Oooorrrrsss..." the Oresoren began to cry as well. "Oooorrrrssss..."

Jay reached out, embracing the Oresoren as they continued to cry together, mourning Senel's untimely death...


End file.
